Q&A: Rosh Hashanah Simanim
Rosh Hashanah Simanim
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I also wanted to ask whether there is an obligation to eat or put on the table the Rosh Hashanah simanim (gourd, black-eyed peas, leek, dates, beet/spinach, pomegranate, apple in honey)? Or is it permissible to have the holiday meal without the simanim as well.
Answer
Oren, is this a provocation? What obligation could there possibly be here? At most it is a custom, admittedly a very odd one.
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Questioner:
Not a provocation, I’m asking in the context of the idea of “do not forsake”. In other words, is one required to observe this custom?
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Rabbi:
It is a custom like any other custom. Certainly one is not obligated in all the details, but something in the spirit of the matter. If it is a foolish custom then there is no obligation, but I am not sure it goes that far.
It’s in order to increase the blessings